The existing garden was an example of what can be created when innapropriate planting is combined with a lack of planning - 'a nightmare scenario!'.  As you can see from the 'before' images, the Alnus trees had outgrown their environment and were creating a space that was dark and uninviting for the residents that overlooked it.  The roots of the trees were pushing up the surrounding paviors and creating a safety hazard.  An additional problem was that the low, straight brick wall, which was designed to protect residents using the garden, against vehicles, did not allow for a large enough turn into the underground garages.

The existing brick wall was replaced with a sweeping curve of concrete bollards, which still gave protection to pedestrians, but gave a larger sweep into under-ground garages.  These were installed, with uplighters beneath them, for spectacular night-time effects.  The Alnus trees were felled and replaced with two groups of mixed birched.  This still gave some vertical interest, without creating the previous problems of scale.  Birches were chosen because they give light, dappled shade and their coloured stems create interest at eye-level.  The other planting used included dome-forming Hebes, which are pollution tolerant and en-masse will give a undulating, modern  feel. 

Gunn Road is a social housing development - in excess of 130 homes - that in recent years has suffered from crime and vandalism.  Dart Homes, the police and the local community, have worked together to implement a plan for urban regeneration. A budget of 400K was allocated to improve the landscaping.  By re-defining ownership of communal and public space and ensuring that the new design gave a more open vista to tenants, natural surveillance was installed.  The planting was carefully designed by us,  to give drama and interest, while still being easily maintainable.  Defensive planting was used, where appropriate, to enhance perimeter security.  At the heart of the scheme lies a 'Community Garden'.  This space was treated as a 'real' garden for the benefit of the residents, many of whom live in flats and had never previously had access to a garden. It allows for a range of activities such as, enjoying nature, social gathering, sunbathing.  Here is an extract from a letter recived from a resident: 

"It's pretty tough living in a top flat, especially when you love nature as much as I do. This garden will be much needed and appreciated and I am sure that all residents, of all ages, will also enjoy everything 'Trinity Garden' has to offer.  Thank you, - Denise"

An extract from The Masterplan (left) has been taken to show some of the detail (below). 

The extract, above, gives an indication of the planting strategy used - 'blocky', mono-culture with accent planting, of larger shrubs and trees, was used to create a moden 'feel'.  Low, defensive planting (Berberis), combined with low post and rail fencing, was used all around perimeter of site.

Concept Drawing for 'The Trinity Garden'

Master Plan Drawing for 'The Trinity Garden'

Dove house is a mental health unit in Streatham, London, offering respite and care for women.  It is owned and run by South London and Maudesley NHS Trust.  The building is a pair of victorian semi-detatched house combined into one.  The gardens were not united visually and were on different levels.  Although it had maturity and a calm feel the garden had been neglected and was quite overgrown.

Our brief was to create a garden that would allow for group activities such as badminton and 'swingball' and to provide a large area for a group of people to sit as well as smaller, more intimate spaces.  Additionally, a new staff patio was to be introduced.

Before

The garden felt 'heavy' and much of the shrub planting was overgrown.  There was also nowhere to sit among the planting and the existing path led only to the shed.

After

The garden has been 'opened' up to create a much more inviting space.  A new, more useable, lawn has been introduced and the 'driftwood' path meanders around the garden allowing access to the new planting and seating areas.  In the top left of photograph you can see the new pergola and alongside it a vegetable garden for clients' use.

The new planting has been chosen to provide year round interest and also to be low maintenance.

We were called in by the developer - Lynton Homes, to assist in the landscaping of a new development.  This development consisted of  three prestigous new homes - ranging upwards in price from £600,000.  The site, at the rear of Billericay High Street, backs onto a public car park.  There was an urgent need to create screening with large trees, but the local authority insisted that prior to giving 'Planning Consent' the trees chosen must be native, and not over-ornamental. This was at odds with the developers' requirement to use evergreen species that would give year-round screening.  This created a dillema, because the range of evergreen, native trees, large enough to fit the brief, is exremely limited.  A crucial aspect of this job, therefore, was research!.

Before selecting the trees and shrubs for the screening, it was crucial to determine the heights required to form effective screening for the inhabitants of the new houses, as seen from all three floors.

Section Through Site

Selecting Suitable Specimens

The Screening in Place

We used a mixture of Evergreen Oaks (Quercus Ilex), Laurels, Purple Cherries (Prunus cersifera 'Nigra') and Hornbeam.  The cost of using only Evergreen Oaks would have prohibitive for the developer, so where screening was most crucial - directly in front of the property over-looking the car park - we chose 'espaliered' Hornbeam.  This gave us the height we required, and although not evergreen, the dead leaves are retained over the winter.

The Espaliered Hornbeam

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